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From: sasaki@HARVARD.HARVARD.EDU (Marty Sasaki)
Newsgroups: mod.computers.vax
Subject: clusters - update on system disk requirements
Message-ID: <8701230137.AA24191@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU>
Date: Thu, 22-Jan-87 20:36:53 EST
Article-I.D.: ucbvax.8701230137.AA24191
Posted: Thu Jan 22 20:36:53 1987
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If you are interested in performance with uVAXen, especially in
clusters, I would suggest using another manufacturers controller and
disk.

Our uVAX cluster's boot disk is a Fujitsu Super Eagle using Emulex's
QD-32 (?) controller. Throughput to the disk is much faster than to
either RA or RD disks. The CPU overhead on the machine acting as the
disk server is higher, but in our application, hardly noticeable.

The QD-32 is a much better controller, it is cheaper, it is smaller,
it is faster, and it uses less power than the KDA-50. Dialog and
System's Industries make controllers with similar performance and
cost, and I am sure that there are others.

The only real disadvantages is that these disks aren't MSCP, and you
are tied to the manufacturer for driver software.
----------------
  Marty Sasaki				uucp:   harvard!sasaki
  Ziff Davis Technical Information Co.	arpa:	sasaki@harvard.harvard.edu
  80 Blanchard Road			bitnet: sasaki@harvunxh
  Burlington, MA 01803			phone:	617-273-5500